FILM · 2014 · UK
Exodus: Gods and Kings
24 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
24 Interesting Facts About Exodus: Gods and Kings
Interesting Facts (17)
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Egypt said it banned the film for distorting Egyptian history and presenting a racist image of Jews. The Ministry of Culture first explained its decision in a statement made several days after the ban was announced. It stated that the film presented a reading of Egyptian history that conflicted with the story of Moses as told by the world's monotheistic religions. Egypt is a conservative country with a Muslim majority and a fairly large Christian minority. The statement said that censors objected to deliberate major historical inaccuracies that offended Egypt and its ancient pharaonic history in what it called another attempt to Judaize Egyptian civilization, and that this confirmed international Zionist fingerprints throughout the film. The Ministry said the film falsely portrayed ancient Egyptians as savage killers and hangers of Jews, and asserted that execution did not exist in ancient Egypt. It also stated that the film presented a "racist" portrayal of Jews as a people who staged armed rebellion. The Ministry said religious texts depict Jews as weak and oppressed. The statement also objected to the depiction of God as a child, which drew criticism in the West. The Ministry said it formed two committees to examine the film, one of censors and one of archaeologists. The Ministry said the committee of archaeologists agreed with the decision to ban the film because it showed "a false and wrong mental image of Egypt's history."
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When Moses confronts Ramses II over the final plague, the background music is a direct copy of Elmer Bernstein's score from Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments (1956).
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According to some interpretations of the Bible, Moses was over 80 years old when the Exodus took place (he was 40 when he left Egypt and wandered in Midian for 40 years before returning to Egypt). Because he was poor of speech, he asked God to exempt him from the task, but God told him to use his brother Aaron as his spokesman instead.
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According to the Book of Exodus, while Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights, his followers made a Golden Calf from their jewelry and began to worship it. When Moses returned he was so furious that he smashed the stone tablets (he later carved new ones) and ordered everyone who had worshiped the Golden Calf to be executed, resulting in the deaths of 3,000 people. In the film, God (through the messenger angel Malak) silently expresses disapproval of Moses when they see the Golden Calf atop Mount Sinai, but this is not explored further.
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The Blu-ray contains 15 to 20 minutes of extended scenes. Ridley Scott said the film's original cut was 4-1/2 hours and that releasing this version on DVD was possible. He made a similar claim about Prometheus (2012), which also had many deleted scenes, and considered releasing an extended edition on DVD similar to what he did with Kingdom of Heaven (2005). In the end, both films were released on DVD only in their theatrical versions, with the deleted footage added as bonus features.
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The film suffered from accusations that Hollywood whitewashes non-white characters. Interestingly, the same accusation has never been leveled at depictions of Jesus Christ, who, despite being an ethnic Jew, had Middle Eastern skin and was always played by actors of European origin, perpetuating a legend begun by early Christian art. These artists believed that depicting Christ with a likeness familiar to the local people would more easily draw their followers to the faith.
Production Story (2)
Characters & Cast (3)
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This is the third film in which Ben Kingsley plays the savior of the Jews. In Schindler's List (1993) he played Itzhak Stern, Schindler's greatest aide and ultimate friend. In Moses (1995) he played the lead role.
Deeper Meaning (1)
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As shown in the film, the first nine plagues that struck ancient Egypt can be explained as an unexpected but plausible chain of natural events and several overlapping disasters. The tenth plague, the death of the firstborn, is said to have been possible only through direct divine intervention, as the film implies and the Book of Exodus states explicitly. Biblical scholars, however, have put forward several different theories. Firstborn sons held a special place in ancient Egyptian culture. During celebrations they were often given special foods as gifts to the gods. The festival food may have been contaminated with mold or other pathogens during one of the earlier plagues. After the ninth plague (three days of darkness) ended, the Egyptians would celebrate by feeding their firstborn sons the contaminated food, causing mass death later that evening. This does not explain why all the firstborn animals died. Another theory is that the Pharaoh ordered the mass sacrifice of the firstborn in the hope of appeasing the gods and stopping the plagues, and that this event was later described as the tenth plague.
Career & Awards (1)
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Oscar Isaac and Javier Bardem reportedly turned down the role of Ramses II.
Related pages
- Everest — Exodus: Gods and Kings comes up in the facts on that page
- The Martian — Exodus: Gods and Kings comes up in the facts on that page
- Ridley Scott — Exodus: Gods and Kings comes up in the facts on that page
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- IMDb
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